BADAC 42nd Anniversary Online EBook Introduction
Acknowledgement of Country.
We would like to acknowledge that this ebook was developed on the Country of the Wathaurong who are the Traditional Owners of this land, and their ancestors who have been custodians for thousands of years and on which they have performed age old Cultural ceremonies, celebrations and traditions.
We would like to acknowledge that this ebook was developed with the Ballarat Aboriginal community, many of whom were forcibly removed from Country around Victoria and interstate during the Stolen Generations decades (1880s – 1980s), and brought to Ballarat. They chose to stay and make Ballarat their home, and together created the thriving community organisation BADAC to benefit all Aboriginal people living in and around Ballarat.
We would like to acknowledge and pay our respects to the Elders past and present and would also like to pay respect and acknowledge everyone who views our story.
This ebook celebrates the incredible story of Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative (BADAC) – a story of Aboriginal Victoria which can inspire all Victorians.
BADAC’s history is woven from the fabric of the tragic Stolen Generations, and the triumph of the human spirit over extreme adversity.
Click through this ebook to find stories of individual courage, pride and unflinching determination, and stories of survival and passion. The stories within this ebook describe Aboriginal self-determination in action and the transformative power of community.
In 2019, Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative (BADAC) was 40 years old: an astonishing achievement for a grass-roots not-for-profit community organisation which arose from great need.
Of course, BADAC’s story begins long before 1979: more than 60,000 years before, when the Wathaurong people lived with the lands we now call Ballarat. Two hundred years ago, Colonisation had a profound, tragic and shattering impact on all Aboriginal peoples.
A significant part of Ballarat’s, and BADAC’s story, is that of the Stolen Generations.
During the infamous Stolen Generations decades, Aboriginal children were forcibly removed from all over Victoria and interstate and placed in one of Ballarat's five orphanages and children’s homes.
This continued to happen for generation after generation – from the 1880s to the 1980s - severing children from Country, language, family and culture. Transgenerational trauma is still affecting the community today.
Many Aboriginal people stayed and brought up their families in Ballarat. The Wathaurong and nearby Dja Dja Wurrung people have been here for more than 60,000 years. Other Aboriginal people, for example from Wotjabaluk, Gunditjmara and Yorta Yorta language groups, moved to Ballarat over the years for work, school, sporting opportunities and many other reasons.
Thus the Ballarat Aboriginal community is very diverse, with people from many different places of Country.
42 years ago, Aboriginal people faced discrimination in obtaining employment and therefore securing housing, food and safety. They faced discrimination regarding access to medical care and education and they were disproportionately represented in the justice and child protection systems.
Somehow, 42 years ago, some of Victoria and Ballarat’s most dispossessed people, got together and decided to make a difference. And somehow, through all the years, through the commitment of individuals and the strength of people working together, BADAC never fell.
Now in 2022, BADAC is 43 years old. It employs 166 staff and offers 64 programs, services and community cultural events. It is the beating heart of its rapidly growing, proud and diverse community.
BADAC has a new $6 million medical centre which is culturally safe and welcoming. It offers mental health, drug and alcohol and justice programs; family violence prevention and support; youth groups and playgroup for the rapidly growing new generations. It offers many family and kinship care programs. More than 5,000 people celebrate BADAC’s NAIDOC Family Fun Day every year.
This ebook is the story of how local Aboriginal people created their tremendous, inspiring achievement. It is a celebration of those early founders and their extraordinary triumph, and showcases some of the key people driving BADAC’s success today.
This ebook is also a story of Aboriginal people and Non-Aboriginal people walking together, to improve the lives of all Victorians.
Thank you to Public Record Office of Victoria, who generously funded this project with a Local History Grant of $15,000.
